"Figuring things out as I go and sharing along the way."
February 12, 2016
El Patio was a little too Miami Beach for Wynwood, in my opinion. . My friends and I love Wynwood because it’s a laid back and hassle free crowd, so we decided to go there to celebrate an engagement and two birthdays. My only issues with El Patio are that they have the “I don’t care who you are or what you’re celebrating” attitude at the door. When I went, there was a $40 cover for guys and a $20 cover for girls. Their explanation for the high cover charge was because supposedly they were at capacity. Normally, when that happens you stop letting people in, not charge them an astronomical amount. Let’s be real, since when do girls actually pay to get into places? I don’t even pay to get into Liv (unless maybe it’s to see Steve Aoki and I want to make sure I get in hassle free)!
The justification they had for the cover being worth it was that they give you what you spent on the cover back in fake money to be used at the bar. Seems more reasonable, right? Not really! Here’s the catch, when you go to the bar, they only let you use a certain amount of fake money per transaction. You can’t even get that drunk because you have to be sober enough to do simple math and make sure you aren’t being taken advantage of by the bartenders. If a couple spends $60 at the door, you’re going to have to make a lot of trips to the bar (which has super long lines) and drink a lot, to actually get to use all your fake money. Needless to say, we still have some fake money left over that we will probably never use again.
The music and atmosphere were nice. I would probably love this place if it wasn’t so complicated. We quickly got tired of waiting in the long lines at the bar as well as being told a different maximum amount of fake money allowed per transaction, so we went over to the Butcher Shop to salvage the rest of our night.
Will I go back to El Patio? Maybe just to use the leftover fake money I have in my purse or if I’m desperate to keep my night going. My advice to El Patio, you’re in Wynwood’s barrio, so get out or stay and get humble, so you can reach your full potential. Remember, a little customer service and a more positive customer experience never hurt a business. Until then, I’m sorry to say but you’re on my blacklist. It’s too bad because I really liked the music. I just didn’t like it enough to go through all that trouble again.
